Wednesday, March 31, 2010

A League of Her Own

Meredith has started playing softball this spring, and Matt is beside himself with excitement. He is helping to coach the team, and loves to practice with her. I know that this is the stage of childhood that he envisioned when he thought of having children, so I am happy for him that we are finally here. Mere is in an 8 and under league, with 6-8 year olds, and is playing with Madelyn Frans. (Madelyn is Kyle and Rhea's daughter, Kyle and Matt went to school together from 5th grade on, and used to play baseball together, so it is fun to watch them relive their "glory days" as they teach their daughters.)
I have little to no knowledge about ANY sport, I have always found them boring, largely because they all seem to require one skill I was born without: Hand-eye coordination! Once again, this is an area where Matt and I can balance each other out, because for every game I tune out, he can tell you the final score, the last time that team won, and other random facts about them, for football, baseball and basketball. It's not a skill that I envy, but I am happy that he knows that stuff because at least our kids stand a chance of being athletic!


The team was thrown together at the last minute, and there was an aspect at the first meeting that excited me...Uniforms! The moms (and Matt and one other dad) all went shopping for them together, and we decided on cute little pleated skorts, pink t-shirts and black knee socks. Matt and Kyle are both against the decision to let the girls wear black skorts or shorts, they feel that pants and a traditional uniform are more appropriate. That's what happens when you let the moms choose the clothes! Their team chose the Wildcats as their name, and all of the girls look so cute in their uniforms! Unfortunately they are all at about the same skill level I am. It's fun to watch them when they are aware of what's happening though, they play their little hearts out. And there is still some of that childhood classic of standing in the field, playing in the dirt and admiring the grass while the game is happening, which is amusing, if not productive.

We have had 2 games this week, and we lost both of them, but I would like to see the birth certificates for the other girls, because I am pretty sure they have to be much older than our team. Our first girl up to bat was literally only a head taller than the catcher's waist! Meredith said tonight "I'm tired and just frustrated. Every time we play, the other team beats us." We talked about experience and practice and the fact that they are all trying their best, and this is just for fun. I am actually in awe of the fact that she seems to know what is going on! I am proud of her, she is starting to pay attention and I think by next year she will be taking this very seriously.

Nathan has a great time running all over the place while we are "watching" the games. He picked up handfuls of dirt and tossed them in the air, ran under the bulletin board 87 times, played cars, tried to climb the fence, ran into the dugout twice, tried to tip a trash can over once and made it over to the t-ball field behind us before I caught him because I foolishly wore flip flops. (Rookie mistake.) And all of that was in the first 30 minutes while they were warming up!

It should be a good way to introduce Meredith to competitive sports, help her bond with Matt over a common interest, and get some cute pictures, which is my favorite part! And the kids and I definitely wear ourselves out during the games, so we should all sleep well for the next few months.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Leprechauns and Easter eggs...

Here are a few pics from St. Patrick's day. We did green yogurt and waffles at breakfast, played with green Oobleck, drank green milk and had little pins to wear all day. Meredith's said Lucky and Nathan's said World's Cutest Leprechaun. It was fun to do something different for the kids, they got a kick out of all the green!




Sunday night we dyed eggs with the kids, it was the first time Nathan had done them and he kept lifting the egg up and saying "Oooooooh!" and then tossing it in the cup again! We had a few casualties, but overall it was a really terrific family project. Matt and I are really loving having the kids do things with us as they get older, our little family unit is so much fun!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Easter Bunny

Meredith informed me yesterday that she doesn't think the Easter bunny is real. I tried not to panic or cry as my daughter's childhood innocence disappeared, and I asked her why she thinks that. Her response was "I think it's probably just a guy in a bunny suit bringing Easter baskets to everyone. I really bunny couldn't carry baskets or open doors." Phew, I fuess we are safe for a little while longer! It cracks me up that the part she questions is the autenticity of the actual rabbit, not the idea that any one creature hops around leaving baskets for children once a year!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Catholic again

I am feeling extremely moved lately to tell about my religious journey these days, so here it is! I was born and raised Catholic, and attended regularly until I moved to college. I never really questioned being Catholic, or our beliefs, or the teachings of the Church, until I moved out. I went to Baker, a private Methodist University, and I was shocked when I got there and all of my friends seemed to have really enjoyed their churches growing up. They attended summer camps, hung out with their youth groups, had friends at their churches, and basically showed me a whole new side to religion that I had not known was possible.

I attended a few services when I was at Baker, and thought they were okay, but nothing moved me in any certain way. I met Matt, moved back home and went to my family's parish, and didn't feel much one way or another then either. Matt was against being Catholic, and so I agreed to look for an alternative together. We got married, moved to Denver, and I got a job at a Presbyterian Church. I was close to the people there, so I attended services there, but still felt like there was something I was missing. As we have moved around, I continued to try churches, because I do feel that it is extremely important to me to raise my children as active Christians, and I wanted them to see that we all attend together. I have tried regular attendance at 5 different churches over the last 4 years, and still felt that something wasn't fitting for me.

Over the first weekend in January, I went to Mass with my friend Shelly and her boyfriend. It was like being home again! I felt wonderful, the priest seemed as though he was speaking directly to me, the music was familiar, the crucifix was hung and looked beautiful to me, and I decided that I should try Catholicism with a renewed vigor. Since then, I have been attending at St. Monica's Parish, about a mile from my house, and I have only missed 2 Sundays this whole year so far, once for illness and once for Matt's birthday.

I have come to realize that I need to raise my children in a faith that means something to me, and that I am just Catholic at heart. I love the idea of discipline, of focusing on the fact that Christ died for us, and that sins can be forgiven. I have found a new aspect of my Faith as I renew my Catholic beliefs, and discovered that (fortunately) the way Flagstaff Catholics act is actually not the norm. My church growing up was not family friendly, had horrible children's programs, did half the Mass in Spanish, and seemed to disregard the desires of the congregation at whim. We would vote on something, like a name for the new Parish, and they would announce the winner, and then tell us what they were actually going to call it.

It's nice for me to think that I have found a home here. My church has a welcoming feel, a mom's group, children's programs that are age appropriate, and the same core beliefs that I feel are important. I have embraced this wonderful feeling with all my heart, and I am once again proud to announce that I am Catholic, and will remain so forever more. I have given up coffee for Lent, I am observing the Holy Days of Obligation, I am actually really wanting to say the rosary, and I feel closer to God than I ever have.

My personal belief is that there isn't any one particular religion that has all of the answers. I do know now though, that I have to do what I feel deep in my heart and soul, and for me, I have found peace with this decision, and I long to cry it from the mountaintops that I am at peace with God once more!

Friday, March 5, 2010

ow-sigh

Nathan is a complete nature freak, all winter long he has been lamenting the lack of outside play time. We have finally had a few nicer days lately, so we have been outside as much as possible. When he wants to go outside, he stands by the back door saying "Ow sigh. Ow sigh." If that doesn't receive the desired response, he will run to the laundry room where we keep the shoes and say "shoooos. Shooos. Ow sigh shoos." We went out twice yesterday and have been out for almost 2 hours this morning.

I am grateful for the nicer weather, the little hint of spring, and the fact that when we are outside the kids are happier to entertain themselves. An additional bonus is that my house stays much cleaner when we are outside the whole time we are awake, so I am happier all around. Seriously, who's idea was winter anyway? Well, I am off to play with the kiddos again outside, and enjoy the nicer weather while we have it!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Wide awake at 3 a.m.

It's one of those unfortunate nights when my brain clicked on at 2:15 and wouldn't shut down. I tried tossing and turning for an hour and then gave in and got up. The benefits of this are that I do get to take advantage of the very rare quiet time in my house without the fear that I will be interrupted after just a few minutes, and that I am awake on a night when I am not feeling super tired. I know that I am not good at updating my blog as much as I would like, so I feel like I have so much to say but I don't want to make it overly long, so I thought I would just list a few things that I wanted to record.
  • Matt is looking super skinny these days. He is down 80 lbs. in a year and a half, and last week started running. He is doing the couch to 5K deal and is really getting into running. I am so proud of him!
  • I am feeling really jealous of Matt because he is doing so well and my knee and back are hurting so much that I am not able to work out at all. I have only lost 4 lbs. since my knee surgery in October, and I am feeling very frustrated. Grrrrrr.
  • Meredith is reading so much these days, I am really impressed with everything she is learning in school. She is also being very sweet and helpful most of the time, and I breathe a sigh of relief that we seem to be entering a new phase with her.
  • Meredith was the "queen bee" at school this week, she got to bring in a few things that are special to her, and we made a poster board of her favorite things and some pictures of her. She loved getting it together with me, and after an hour of working on it together, she turned to me and told me thank you for doing this with her and that she loves it when we get to spend time just the two of us.
  • Yesterday when Meredith came home from school she called me Mrs. Gregg. I know that kids sometimes slip up and call their teachers mommy, but I had never heard anyone do the reverse!
  • Nathan is so much fun (most of the time) right now. He does a hundred little things every day that I wish I could show everyone because I think he's so much fun to watch! It's not even something that I can describe, because it would take so long to describe everything he is doing. He says "fun" all the time now, he wants to "see! See!" out the windows everything he hears outside. He gets this little glint in his eyes and turns his head to the side and glances at me to see if I am watching him, then cracks up when I look at him. He adores trucks and construction, and has recently started watching Bob the Builder, and thinks it should be on 24 hours a day. (He doesn't want to watch it most of the time, just wants it on.)
  • The other day Cooper was crawling towards the cars Nathan had dumped out. Nathan saw him coming and frantically started putting the cars up on the bricks in front of the fireplace. You could tell that he was doing it to protect them from the incoming baby, and he looked really proud of himself for figuring it out. Cooper stopped crawling and looked at Nathan. Nathan finished putting them out of reach and started talking to Cooper. Coop started crawling again and pulled up on the bricks and reaching for the cars, and Nathan looked panicked! He said "No no baby! No no!" and tried to hand Cooper one of the baby toys. It cracked me up!
  • I have officially started moving away from watching Cooper and into teaching Gymboree more. Kelli is going to find another place for Cooper and I am going to teach 2 days a week. Mondays will be fun because the kids get to come with me and hang out in the art room for the nursery. I will also teach on Wednesdays, and I just found out that Nathan got into the Mother's Day Out program I wanted for him, so he will go there on Wednesdays. I think it will be a positive change all around, and I will get more time to focus on my kids when I am with them. I am really looking forward to it, and I love the idea of only working 10 hours a week and making as much as I am watching Cooper for 50 hours a week!

Well, that's my "shortened" version of Donovan life these days. Believe it or not, I could have gone on longer! It's now 4:30 and I think I will be able to catch a couple more hours of sleep before starting the Wednesday routine. Good night!